


In the arms of an ocean (never let me go)

by smudgesofink



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: (probably), Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Apocalypse, F/M, In which there are child soldiers, Light Angst, M/M, Victor has a tragic background, and Katsuki Yuuri and Katsuki Mari are BAMFs who kick some Kaiju butt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 09:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12578480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smudgesofink/pseuds/smudgesofink
Summary: “This is Victory Riser’s first successful Kaiju kill. Can you tell us what you’re feeling right now, Katsuki-san?”I feel like crying, Yuuri wants to say. I feel hysterical. His knees are creaking ominously from the shock, threatening to buckle under his weight. There’s a tremor to his hands that resemble small earthquakes. He feels alive, very much alive, to his disbelief.“Er, Katsuki-san?” The reporter repeats after a moment of his silence. “C-Can you tell us how you feel right now?”“Terrified,” Yuuri answers with a smile, and laughs softly when the reporter stares at him in confusion. “I’ve never been this scared before in my whole life.”(In which all the skaters you know are not skaters but fighters, and the world is coming to an end—or the Pacific Rim AU no one asked for.)





	In the arms of an ocean (never let me go)

**Author's Note:**

> Me @ myself: Self-care is dedicating your time, sleep, and whole life on an AU fic idea you thought of during 3 A.M. that one time.
> 
> Hey guys, I'm back! This time, I wanted to try something a little different? (As you can see, I'm a slut for Pacific Rim AU) Hopefully you'll appreciate it, too.

Yuuri is eight years old when the first Kaiju sprung out of the ocean and breached the surface of the Earth. It is during a school break that he and his family visit Tokyo for the first time, and Yuuri admires everything he sees with undisguised wonder. They stay by the coast after lunch, and it’s when their mom and dad leave him and Mari to go inside a nearby store that Yuuri notices something odd.

There’s a black thing swimming in the ocean.

He sees it with his own eyes as he stands by the sidewalk with an overlooking view of Tokyo bay, and the movement of _something_ rising from the water gets his attention. It looks harmless enough from a distance, nothing more than a disfigured lump that keeps on inching closer to the shore. Yuuri blinks in curiosity and tugs at his sister’s sleeve.

“Mari- _nee-san_ ,” Yuuri says, eyes fixed on the figure that swims steadily towards the beach, getting larger as it gets close, “Mari- _nee-san_ , are there sea monsters in Tokyo?”

It’s his first time in the city and Yuuri doesn’t know any better.

Mari frowns down at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Look, right there.”

His big sister turns to look at what he’s pointing and goes deathly still, her face suddenly draining of color. Later, Yuuri will come to know that this is what fear looks like when it’s reflected in his sister’s expression.

“Yuuri, hold my hand.”

“What? Why—“

“Just do what I say,” Mari snaps. Yuuri does as he’s told, wincing when his sister’s nails dig sharply into his skin.

“ _Okaa-san_ ,” Mari calls as the people around them slowly discover the looming shadow that casts a spreading darkness over the bay. “ _Okaa-_ san!” Mari calls again. The ground shakes as if it’s coming alive out of sheer terror and Yuuri feels the tremors of the earth underneath his feet. People start stumbling away from the sea.

“ _Okaa-san_!” Mari screams.

Yuuri turns back to the shore and loses his breath.

The monster has grown big—bigger than any other creature had the right to be, with a mutated face Yuuri can’t tear his gaze away from. When the monster takes its first step on dry land, the ground shatters, crumbling into dust as the _thing_ releases a bellow that rings deep within Yuuri’s bones. Suddenly, there are screams everywhere, and Yuuri’s world explodes into deafening roars and chaos. Salt water rolls like a tidal wave toward them, crashing into people, drowning out their gasps for help.

“Don’t let go of me!” Mari yells at him. A ball of cold nausea quickly forms in his gut as Mari harshly pulls him by the wrist and begins running.

“Wait!” Yuuri says helplessly as Mari drags him away and he almost makes them both fall when he turns back to the store his parents had entered earlier. He can taste his heartbeat in his throat. “ _Nee-san,_ we can’t—Mom and Dad are still—!”

“ _I know_!” Mari shouts. Her voice breaks with emotion. “Yuuri, we’ll find them, okay? Now run!”

Yuuri trips twice and sprains his ankle but not once does Mari’s painful grip loosen—not when Mari herself skins both of her knees when she stumbles on the gaping cracks of the road, not when a deep gash in her forehead bleeds as she shields Yuuri from the falling debris and makes him duck his head low, not when the terrified people threaten to shove them apart and bury them alive in the stampede.

Not even when Tokyo falls into ruins around them.

It’s Yuuri’s first time in the city. Later, he will realize it will also be his last.

Later, he and Mari will find their parents frantically screaming their names in the sea of lost people looking for their loved ones. Later, they will get out of Tokyo bleeding and scarred but alive, buried in their father’s worried arms and their mother’s relieved sobs echoing in their ears as the authorities send them back to Hasetsu, and their parents will have no plans to ever leave their hometown again.

Later, Yuuri will stare hollowly at his bandaged foot, recalling the sickening crunch of bone against asphalt. He will realize it didn’t come from him—instead, it belonged to the man who had stumbled and shrieked by his far left in the midst of the panic, and was crushed underneath the claw of the behemoth.

Later, Yuuri will discover he can no longer stomach the scent of the sea without hyperventilating. He will come to know that this is what fear feels like when it has solidified in his very being.

Later, Yuuri will still be latching on to his sister’s hand and Mari will forever be unwilling to let go of his.

Later, Yuuri will realize that witnessing death is how soldiers are born.

 

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The people call the monster _Kaiju_.

Japan mourns the ones they’ve lost as the rest of the world calls it a tragedy, an unfortunate accident involving a freak of nature. It takes months before Tokyo can rebuild itself back to its former glory but the Japanese are nothing if not patient and resilient.

The incident leaves its mark in Japan’s history, and the people slowly learn to move on from it.

Until six months later, it happens again in San Francisco.

And again in Manila.

And again and again and again.

And the world stops calling it an accident and starts fighting back.

 

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Yuuri is twelve when he first hears the word _Jaeger._

He stares at the television screen, watching the news report with bated breath as it features a gigantic robot beating a 300 feet Kaiju into the ground. To this day, the sight of a Kaiju still chills Yuuri down to the bone. He swallows with difficulty, clenching his fists in his lap so they won’t tremble, and worries for the robot. All around them, the city’s buildings look fake, like miniatures made of paper and aluminium foil instead of glass and concrete as they crumple and break during the course of the brawl.

“Delta Specter!” Someone gasps and Yuuri glances up to see Yuuko plopping down to sit next to him, her eyes already glued to the screen. “Wow,” Yuuko breathes in awe, “I’ve never seen it in action before.”

“Delta Specter?” Yuuri repeats, looking back at the TV. The robot has a choke hold on the Kaiju, its grip unbreakable even as the reptilian horror thrashes around violently and opens its jaws to bare its fangs.

“Yeah,” Yuuko says, nodding with fervor, “it’s one of the first Jaeger models they’ve designed! There’s Scarlet Rogue and Thunder Luna and—oh! Did you know Delta Specter holds the highest record of Kaiju kills? They’re amazing!”

Yuuri watches as the robot—the Jaeger—jerks its arm to the side and audibly snaps the Kaiju’s neck, letting it drop boneless and dead on the wreckage. The resulting crash is loud, echoing in the dining room of the onsen even with the TV’s volume turned down, and onscreen, it sends an explosion of smoke and dust to rise from the ruins.

And just like that, the fight is over.

In all of his life, Yuuri has never seen something so unexplainably terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

The camera cuts off to an interview of a young man in a metallic suit, a ponytail of silver hair swaying behind him as he keeps a helmet tucked under one arm. “ _We received the distress signal at 0800 hours_ ,” the man says in English and even when he doesn’t understand the words, Yuuri notes the smoothness of his voice, boyish still and not unlike Yuuri’s own, but tinged with an accent Yuuri can’t name. “ _Yakov and I were the first ones to be deployed on the miracle mile_.”

“Who’s that?” Yuuri asks under his breath, refusing to look away from the screen.

“That’s Victor Nikiforov,” Yuuko whispers back, just as quiet, and Yuuri can almost note the smile of amazement in her voice. “They say he’s the youngest Jaeger pilot in history.”

“Really?” Yuuri exhales, eyes wide and entranced. “That’s incredible.”

 _“Mr. Nikiforov,”_ the reporter says in English, _“you have just successfully defeated another Category III Kaiju, codename Reckoner. This marks Delta Specter’s sixth Kaiju kill. Can you tell us what you’re feeling right now?”_

Victor Nikiforov gives a soft laugh, shaking his head, and Yuuri takes note of the way long eyelashes flutter delicately as Victor Nikiforov blinks on the screen. _“Terrified,”_ Victor answers with a grin. The reporter makes a noise of shock, and Victor smiles even wider. _“Absolutely terrified.”_

Yuuri’s breath escapes him in a slow sigh. Next to him, Yuuko gives an empathic hum and says, “He’s beautiful, isn’t he, Yuuri-kun?”

There’s a moment of silence as Yuuri studies the face displayed on the screen, taking in the sharp slope of Victor Nikiforov’s nose, the soft curve of his jaw, and his blue, blue eyes, as clear as the morning sky, without any trace of fear whatsoever.

“He is,” Yuuri says finally. He smiles a little, and marvels at the way his heart beats steady in his chest for once, despite having just watched a Kaiju attack. “He really is.”

 

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Yuuri proceeds to spend the rest of his days following the battles of Delta Specter on the news and watching with unwavering loyalty every single interview of Victor Nikiforov, desperately trying to learn English in between so he can finally understand the foreign words coming out of Victor’s mouth.

His parents note his sudden interest in the news—more importantly, his lack of anxious fear at the sight of Kaiju rampages.

“I’m getting better,” Yuuri says simply when his father asks and smiles when his mother worries. “I promise, I’m okay.”

It goes on for months and months until Mari joins him in the dining room one night, sitting beside him as he watches a talk show with Victor as the guest interviewee, and Yuuri smiles as he carefully deciphers broken fragments of Victor’s answers.

“Victor Nikiforov,” Yuuri introduces the man to his sister distractedly, and misses the sound of acknowledgement Mari makes. “He’s Russia’s hero and the youngest person to ever pilot a Jaeger.”

“I see,” Mari says.

“He has a record of eight Kaiju kills now.”

“That’s impressive.”

“It is,” Yuuri sighs wistfully, and the conversation dies away as the two of them watch the rest of the show in silence. When the show cuts to a commercial, Yuuri turns to smile at his sister. He pauses at the look Mari gives him.

Yuuri blinks. “What?”

“Yuuri,” Mari begins in a careful tone, “you know what they do is dangerous, right?”

“I—,” Yuuri takes a hesitant breath, and then nods in confusion. “I know.”

“And you know I’m here for you, don’t you?”

“O-Of course, Mari- _nee-san._ ”

“Okay.” Mari drops her eyes to the floor between them for a moment. “As long as you know,” She says, glancing up to look at Yuuri straight in the eyes, as if she knows something Yuuri doesn’t. Mari stands up before Yuuri can say anything else. “That’s all. Good night, _otouto._ ”

“Good night,” Yuuri calls out reluctantly, staring at his sister’s retreating back, “ _nee-san_.”

 

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Yuuri is still twelve when the Mark-2 Jaegers are launched.

He is fourteen when the Peru and Alaska Shatterdomes are established and during the same year, the news covers Victor Nikiforov’s sudden decision to cut his hair short. Victor looks different with short hair, Yuuri notes when he watches the news. He looks older; his jaw is sharper, more defined, his cheeks have lost their softness, and his eyes—Yuuri is concerned to see—are more tired.

He is fifteen when rumors of developing Mark-3 Jaegers are spreading. The news reports the death of Alexei Vasiliev, Victor’s second co-pilot, who passed away after being diagnosed with stage four brain cancer only three months ago. Victor gives a short eulogy about his partner, voice so soft and vulnerable as he speaks that it reminds Yuuri of a younger version of Victor, three years ago. Yuuri cries over it for days. Another Shatterdome is established in Australia. Not months later, Victor takes on another co-pilot and a new Jaeger.

Yuuri is sixteen when Japan opens the Tokyo Shatterdome and begins to recruit rangers. The news does a feature about the Jaeger Academy in the US and Yuuri hears over dinner that new slots have been opened for interested students. It is then that Yuuri understands what his sister had meant.

 

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“ _Nee-san_ , I want to be a Jaeger pilot.”

In the open area of the hot springs, Mari takes a long drag from her cigarette, a cloud of smoke curling out of her mouth as she breathes out. After the attack in Tokyo that left lasting scars on both of them, Mari had taken up smoking—that, and taekwondo. Yuuri doesn’t understand how either of those help her cope but he isn’t about to question her. After all, he’s the one who spent years terrified of the ocean and avoiding any news of Kaiju attacks, only to follow them now for months as he obsessed over a certain Jaeger pilot.

Mari doesn’t look at him—not yet, at least. Her movements are slow and sure as she drops the cigarette to the ground and snuffs it under her shoe, and it’s then that she turns to Yuuri with a smile.

“Took you long enough to decide.”

 

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Yuuri is sixteen when he enlists in the Jaeger Academy. Mari is twenty-three.

It takes both of them less than a year to soar through the ranks and dominate the Kwoon Combat Room. The instructors compare notes about them, staring at their battle simulation scores with something akin to fearful wonder. They end up at the top of their respective classes, and the name _Katsuki_ soon spreads like wildfire among the students, whispered in between breaks and in the hallways like an urban legend.

_The scores are out—that genius Katsuki aced the exam in Kaiju science again._

_Whaaat? I thought Kwoon bushido was Katsuki’s specialty._

_Also, have you heard the news? They say Katsuki’s got the highest record of 45 drops-45 Kaiju kills in the simulation._

_No way! The last record was 43-40! That’s crazy._

_I’m pretty sure it’s true. My buddy Wei Hui was matched against Katsuki in combat class the other day. Poor kid didn’t stand a chance._

_Yeah, I bumped into Katsuki in the sleeping quarters last night. She was intimidating as hell. I thought I was gonna die._

_…“She”? Katsuki isn’t a chick. He’s the smart dude with the glasses in my Kaiju science class who’s got a really scary face when he fights._

_Um, no? Katsuki is the beefy Japanese girl who aces Jaeger engineering in MY class and kicks ass like a motherfucker._

Yuuri is sixteen when he joins the Academy. Mari is twenty-three. The instructors speak of them with respect; the students, with amazement. In response, both of them keep their heads low, their mouths shut, and let the fire in their eyes do the talking.

 

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It isn’t until the final compatibility test held in the Kwoon that everyone puts two and two together as Katsuki Yuuri and Katsuki Mari, siblings set seven years apart, face each other on the mat. There’s a wave of incredulous whispers— _what the fuck, man, did you know they were fucking related—_ but as the fightmaster signals for them to take their positions, both Yuuri and Mari assume the fighting stance.

The murmurs die down into complete silence.

The thing about drifting in a Jaeger is that everyone can do it with almost anyone else. But it’s the trust between the pilots and the bond they share that strengthens the compatibility, makes it impossible to break the neural connection even under the most extreme circumstances.

Yuuri remembers how the instructor compared drift compatibility to the ability to hold someone’s hand—how it takes immense courage to reach out, how it takes a dose of confidence to keep one’s grip strong but delicate finesse to prevent yourself from crushing your partner’s hand and overwhelming them.

How it takes an infinite amount of trust to keep holding on.

Yuuri remembers the Kaiju attack in Tokyo like it happened just yesterday. He remembers the way Mari made him hold her hand, the way her fingers closed surely around his. He remembers how terrified he had been, running blindly within the chaos, but Mari’s grip on him never faltered.

In front of him, Mari smiles, just a little, and Yuuri sees the teasing glee in his sister’s face.

Yuuri grins and takes a deep breath.

 _Mari-nee-san,_ he thinks, _there’s no one I trust more than you._

And Yuuri strikes.

 

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Later, their scores will be 3-4, in Mari’s favor, and Mari will be smug about it for the years to come but more importantly, they are _drift compatible_ , and they leave the Academy as certified Jaeger pilots.

They get stationed at the Tokyo Shatterdome under Marshal Okukawa Minako. As soon as they arrive on the base, it’s all Yuuri can do not to drop his mask of professionalism and bounce on his toes like a giddy schoolboy at the sight of his wildest dreams turning into reality before his very eyes. It’s there that they see their Jaeger for the first time, a magnificent Mark-3 model made of iron and a double-core nuclear reactor. It’s built very differently compared to Delta Specter—where Delta is heavy and intimidating in its bulk, the Jaeger standing before Yuuri is designed to be lighter, sleeker, metal flowing smoothly over curves and ending in sharp joints. It’s painted a striking shade of blue, like the ocean during a calm day, with greys coloring the inner armor plates.

Next to him, Mari smiles and shakes her head fondly, turning to address the Jaeger-Tech Chief in her accented English. “What’s it called?”

“We haven’t named her yet,” The blond Swiss man who introduced himself as Christophe Giacometti says, throwing in a wink charming enough to make Mari let her guard down a little, “I’d like your opinions on what to call her, actually.”

“What do you say, Yuuri?” Mari glances at her brother, who is still busy marvelling at the Jaeger, and smirks. “Should we just call it _Victor_?”

Yuuri swivels his head back down, mortified. “ _Nee-san!_ ”

“Nikiforov?” Christophe barks out a surprised laugh, and Yuuri’s face explodes tomato red. “My, my. Someone has a crush. He’s an old friend of mine, you know? I could set you up, get you to meet him—”

“It’s _admiration_ ,” Yuuri forces out, sounding gravely serious despite the color that rests high on his cheeks. “I respect him a lot. And yes, I want to name it after him. Victory,” Yuuri suggests, turning to look at their reaction. “Victory Riser.”

Mari hums in consideration.

“Victory Riser,” Christophe repeats, testing the words on his tongue, and grins wide. “Sounds like a champion.”

 

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The first time they get deployed to a handle a Kaiju—codename _Hagesh_ _ī_ —it’s to one of the biggest Category III’s that has ever been recorded. Standing at 375 feet and weighing 2,500 tons, Hageshī is only 30 miles away from reaching the bay and wreaking havoc within the city. Yuuri is nineteen and terrified out of his wits, his thoughts going haywire in his head as he and Mari trudge their way deeper into Tokyo’s ocean territory. There’s static noise filling his mind, a chorus of _what if what if what if_ playing on repeat.

Mari spares him a quick glance. “Stop thinking,” She tuts at him, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as Victory Riser steadily marches forward despite the current that fights against them. “You’re screaming in my head.”

“Can’t help it,” Yuuri grits out. His limbs move on autopilot, completely in-sync with his sister’s but his brain is a different matter. They’re 10 miles away from the Kaiju. It’s even more menacing up close, with its violent thrashing and ear-splitting shrieks, and when it swerves around to face the Jaeger, Yuuri’s heart stops in a false heart attack. “Nee-san, what happens if we can’t contain it?”

The Kaiju lets out a horrible scream as it sees them and charges, rapidly closing the distance. Yuuri remembers how it felt to be 8 years-old and frozen in fear. Hageshī gets 9 miles away, 8 miles away, 6 miles away—

Mari swears under her breath, grimacing. “We will, Yuuri. Now, focus—“

5 miles away.

“What if we don’t? What if it reaches the city? What if—”

“I said focus—“

4 miles.

Yuuri chokes around a gasp of panic. “ _What if—_ “

 _Yuuri_ , his sister’s voice rings crystal clear in his head, and it shuts him up. For a deafening moment, all he could hear is a heartbeat, drumming slow and rhythmic in tandem with his racing one, and then Mari says, _trust me. We can do this._ She takes a deep breath and Yuuri’s lungs stutter in reflex, sucking in air. They breathe out at the same time. “Yuuri, we can do this.”

The Kaiju is 3 miles away. 2 miles. 1 mile—

The Jaeger breaks into a run. Yuuri pulls back his arm and so does Mari, and the Jaeger follows like a puppet, iron limbs drawn taut with tension. Mari jumps, and Yuuri feels his legs tighten as they leap into the air, diving headfirst towards the monstrosity that bares its glowing fangs at them.

“We can do this.”

Yuuri swallows his breath, closes his eyes shut, and slams his fist down.

 

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The fight is over before they realize it.

“Yuuri, Yuuri, wait.”

Yuuri is holding up Hageshī by its thick neck, jaws clenched as he empties the clip of their left cannon into the Kaiju’s torso, when Mari slows her movements and lets their left arm drop. He turns to her in question, all ragged breaths and drenched in sweat in his body suit. It has taken them painfully long moments before they were able to pummel the Kaiju into surrender; Yuuri’s not about to stop now and risk it thrashing around again. There’s a phantom sting of a bite on his forearm where the Kaiju had bitten the Jaeger and Yuuri ignores it in favor of looking at his sister. “What?”

“I think it’s dead,” Mari says, sighing in relief. She looks as drained as he feels, sweat clinging to her forehead.

“You think?” Yuuri frowns, inspecting the unmoving Kaiju in their grip. “Shouldn’t we make sure?”

Mari looks at him in surprise and snorts, quiet at first, and then it builds into full-blown body laughter. “Yuuri,” She snickers, “you’re literally holding the decapitated head.”

“Oh,” Yuuri says, and then balks. “OH.”

He takes notice of the blue Kaiju blood dripping from underneath the detached neck he’s holding and makes a face, dropping it back to the water with a disgusted shudder that Mari feels through the neural connection. It makes her laugh even more until she’s wheezing and out of breath and the combined relief and happiness wells up in Yuuri’s chest, incredible and overwhelming.

Soon, he’s laughing as well, voice high and just the slightest bit hysterical. He can feel tears burning behind his eyes. “We killed a Kaiju,” Yuuri manages in between croaks of laughter. “We killed a Kaiju, what the fuck.”

“I know, holy _shit_ ,” Mari gasps, and that makes them crack up again.

They laugh and laugh and laugh, bending in half and clutching their stomachs, happy and banged up and shaken to the core. When Christophe’s voice bursts out of the comms, asking them whether they’re alright, neither of them can break out of giggling long enough to give a coherent reply. Minako orders them to get back to the Shatterdome for a psych evaluation, post-haste. Mari and Yuuri simply laugh harder.

 

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Later, after Mari has given their statement on the attack, the reporter holds the mic to Yuuri’s direction and says, “This is Victory Riser’s first successful Kaiju kill. Can you tell us what you’re feeling right now, Katsuki-san?”

The question takes him aback, leads him to a comforting sort of déjà vu. Years before, Yuuri had been a younger boy watching a news report in repeat, staring in awe as Russia’s legendary hero answered a similar question with a smile. Now he’s the one standing before a camera that’s probably recording a live newsfeed, being asked what he feels after defeating a 375 feet tall monster while piloting a ridiculously huge killing machine. Everything feels surreal.

 _I feel like crying_ , Yuuri wants to say. _I feel hysterical._ His knees are creaking ominously from the shock, threatening to buckle under his weight. There’s a tremor to his hands that resemble small earthquakes. He feels alive, very much alive, to his disbelief.

He glances at his sister shortly, looking for an answer, and Mari gives him a smile that’s thin and breaking at the edges. She looks as if the reality of what they had done has just dawned to her. Distantly, Yuuri thinks he understands Victor’s answer from all those years ago.

“Er, Katsuki-san?” The reporter repeats after a moment of his silence. “C-Can you tell us how you feel right now?”

“Terrified,” Yuuri answers with a smile, and laughs softly when the reporter stares at him in confusion. “I’ve never been this scared before in my whole life.”

 

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Yuuri is nineteen when Victory Riser kills its first Kaiju. The city of Tokyo hails its new champions and the Katsuki siblings become some sort of celebrities as the pioneers of Tokyo Shatterdome. That year, the Academy receives an influx of Japanese candidates hoping to be Jaeger pilots. Marshal Okukawa is pleased enough that she gives them the biggest sleeping quarters in the Shatterdome.

He is twenty when they reach their fifth kill. The Shatterdome becomes their permanent residence as the attacks grow frequent by the month; both of them agree that it’s much better for everyone if they stay near just in case, and they find themselves in a whirlwind of activities as they split their time doing interviews, facilitating the training of rookies, visiting Hasetsu, and getting deployed into combat. _Christophe_ becomes just _Chris_ to them and he keeps on flirting still, with either Mari or Yuuri. Turns out, Chris isn’t picky with his partners. _Marshal Okukawa_ slowly becomes _Minako-sensei_.

Yuuri is twenty-one and Tokyo remains unbreached for the longest time. Victory Riser has eight kills under its belt and Japan acknowledges the pair of them as national heroes. The name _Katsuki_ spreads throughout the Pan Pacific countries, and other Shatterdomes begin to call for their aid in urgent times. They get deployed to Seoul, to Manila, to San Francisco. Guiltily, Yuuri wishes they would get deployed to Vladivostok, Russia, but no such thing happens.

What _does_ happen to Yuuri, is Minami Kenjiro, a rookie pilot in the Shatterdome who looks younger than he actually is and has taken to following Yuuri around like a puppy. Chris and Mari find it endlessly amusing—Yuuri doesn’t.

He is twenty-two when Victor Nikiforov declares his retirement as a Jaeger pilot. The news breaks Yuuri’s heart, upsets him enough that even Mari can feel the pain in her own chest, and she spends days lingering by Yuuri’s side, worrying for him. Chris makes several attempts to cheer Yuuri up to no avail. During their interview after handling their tenth Kaiju, the reporter asks them of their opinions regarding Victor Nikiforov’s retirement and Yuuri’s hands quiver shamefully.

“Nikiforov-san was a brilliant Jaeger pilot, and he has given his country and his people a great service.” Mari’s statement is short and polite, her expression schooled into neutrality; Yuuri almost envies her composure. “His decision to retire is his to make, and no one else’s.”

When the reporter turns to him, Yuuri only barely manages not to show his dismay. “Victor Nikiforov was my hero,” he admits, so painfully sincere that he stuns the reporter and the camera crew. “It was thanks to him that I was able to overcome my trauma of Kaiju and realize my dream as a Jaeger pilot. I’m happy,” Yuuri says, swallowing past the lump in his throat, “that he can finally rest. The job of a Jaeger pilot is tiring. He’s done more than enough for the world already.”

“A-Ah, I didn’t know Katsuki-san felt this strongly about Nikiforov-san,” the reporter frets after hearing his answer, laughing off the seriousness, and embarrassment makes Yuuri’s ears burn with heat. “It seems like someone has a crush!”

Next to him, Mari bristles with annoyance. “It’s not a crush,” his sister snaps for him. “It’s admiration—“

That’s as far as Mari can speak before Yuuri takes the microphone from the reporter’s hand, much to everyone’s shock. Yuuri breathes calmly despite his nervousness, and tells the reporter, “It’s more than that. What I have for him is respect. Victor Nikiforov,” Yuuri declares, looking directly at the camera lens in a rare moment of confidence, “all that I have done, all the battles I’ve won—I dedicate them to your name. _Arigatou gozaimasu!_ ”

The video goes viral, and goes on to have several more copies and links in different websites. Yuuri absolutely refuses to look at a single one of them.

 

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Yuuri is twenty-three and he comes to accept that certain things simply change. Whether the change is for better or for worse is another thing entirely.

For example, Minami Kenjirou finally stopped treating him like an idol, and has started treating him like a mentor figure instead.

Mari has given in to the temptation of flirting back at Chris.

The Anchorage Shatterdome in Alaska is shut down, its Jaegers decommissioned.

Georgi Popovich, a Russian Jaeger pilot, declares his retirement after seven years of service.

Yu-Topia onsen remains the sole onsen in Hasetsu that’s still open for business.

Victor Nikiforov remains retired.

Yuuri is twenty-three when he realizes that change is unavoidable. Whether the change is for better or for worse is another thing entirely.

Yuuri is twenty-three, and the first Category IV comes out of the breach.

 

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“ _Victory Riser, report to bay 03, level a-12.”_

The alarms blare urgently overhead and Katsuki Mari is already halfway out of her bunk before the announcement is even through, movements brisk and alert as if she hadn’t been woken up from sleep. “Yuuri,” she calls as an afterthought, throwing a shoe at the top bunk bed and grinning when she hears a startled yelp. “Wake up, grumpy. We’re being deployed.”

“What?” Yuuri pokes his head out of the covers, squinting angrily at his surroundings. There are dark shadows painted under his eyes, his mouth turned down into a grimace. His hair is sticking in all directions when he finally climbs down from his bed to dress in haste. “But it’s _2 a.m._ ”

Mari shakes her head as she laces her boots and glances up at her grumbling brother, snorting at Yuuri’s deep scowl. “I don’t think the Kaiju cares much for your beauty sleep, _otouto._ ”

“I’m going to rip it apart,” Yuuri grunts under his breath, sharply looping his belt. “It’s going to regret ever coming out of the breach.”

“ _Victory Riser, report to bay 03, level a-12,”_ the alarm sounds again, _“Kaiju Codename: Kyodai. Category IV.”_

Both Yuuri and Mari freeze.

“Did they,” Mari begins cautiously, frowning at the comms, “…did they just say Category IV?”

“That’s not good,” Yuuri murmurs.

They exchange a fleeting glance and waste no more time getting dressed before they’re out of the door and marching into the launching bays. A flurry of activity greets them as soon as they enter the chamber and at once, Jaeger technicians surround both Yuuri and Mari, attaching metal plating to their body suits and securing the steel spine onto their backs before they’re escorted towards the Jaeger cockpit.

Yuuri takes his position on the left and breathes deep, forcing his muscles to relax against the tension that rests deep within his gut. They’ve fought bigger and fiercer Kaiju before, Yuuri reminds himself as the technicians mess with the control systems behind them. A Category IV should be no different than a slightly more massive Category III Kaiju.

“Stop it,” Mari scolds without skipping a beat, “I can hear you thinking.”

“We’re not even connected yet,” Yuuri protests.

Mari shoots him a look. “Exactly my point,” She deadpans.

The comm in between them bursts into static, interrupting their conversation, just before a deep voice flows out, smooth and suave, “Good morning, sweethearts. How’s my favorite pair of pilots today?”

Yuuri presses the button to reply. “Tired,” he groans.

“Ignore him,” Mari says with a roll of her eyes as Chris’s laughter rings from the speakers. “How are you doing, handsome?”

“Oh, you flatterer,” Chris purrs, “I’m doing good, darling. Had a fantastic time last night.”

Mari grins. “Oh?”

Chris gives a husky chuckle. “Without a doubt.”

“Your date went well, I presume,” Yuuri sighs fondly, shaking his head. “Skip the details, please. I don’t want to know.” Over the years, Chris’s flirting never faltered. It didn’t help that Mari’s now encouraging it, too. Humming in consideration, Yuuri pipes in again, “Come to think of it, Mari-nee-san went on a date last night, too.”

“You don’t say,” Chris drawls out all-too innocently and if possible, Mari’s smile spreads even wider. “Was it a good date, Mari?”

Yuuri makes a face. “Now I _really_ don’t want to know.”

“Oh, it was _good_ ,” Mari agrees with a leer. There’s the slightest hint of a pleased flush on her cheeks, as if she’s recalling last night’s events. “It was very good, Chris. Better than yours, even.”

Yuuri stares at her with mild disgust.

“Ooh, I doubt that,” Chris says. “Mine was mind-blowing.”

She glances at Yuuri and gives a high cackle that leaves him confused as to what’s particularly funny. It’s only when Chris laughs alongside her and says _‘darling, don’t make fun of him’_ that Yuuri makes the connection.

“Wha—” Yuuri stammers, turning a dangerous shade of red and whirling around to yell at the comms, “Did you sleep with my sister?!”

“That I did,” Chris hums without missing a beat, “She was a very good bed mate, too.”

“You’re too sweet, Chris,” Mari teases just as Yuuri lets a choked noise of mortification.

“Oh, god, no,” Yuuri sputters out. He feels his face drain of color at the same time the back of his neck heats up in embarrassment. “No, no, no. This is not happening. What—You and Chris?! Chris and you—how—what—“

“Don’t be upset, Yuuri,” Chris tells him, “You can have your turn.”

Mari bursts into uncontrollable laughter as Yuuri screeches a mortified and resonating _NO!_ , shaking his head violently.

The hysterics die down immediately as the Marshal enters the control room, and Mari and Yuuri hear the sudden change in Christophe’s demeanor through the comms, the humor of his voice fading as he announces, “Marshal Okukawa is on deck. Engaging the drop now.”

The conn-pod secures and once Marshal Minako gives the signal, the cockpit drops down and fits with the rest of the Jaeger.

“Pilots, this is Marshal Okukawa Minako,” the comm delivers Minako’s voice, as calm and collected as ever, “Prepare for the neural handshake. Starting in 15 seconds.”

“If I see a single mental image of you and Christophe, I’m never climbing inside a Jaeger with you again,” Yuuri warns in an undertone as the countdown begins, and he and Mari switch on the pilot controls.

Mari grins without remorse. “Looks like we’re having an early retirement.”

The neural handshake commences, and Yuuri dives back into the drift with his eyes closed and his pulse steady, welcoming the wash of nostalgia and familiarity with practiced ease. He manages to avoid focusing on any of Mari’s memories from last night, thankfully, and when they finally latch on to each other in the drift, Mari reads Yuuri’s awkwardness and grins. “Don’t be like that, Yuuri. Chris had been the perfect gentleman to me—”

“Stop it,” Yuuri groans. “I really, _really_ don’t want to know, _nee-san._ ”

“Pilots,” Minako reprimands curtly.

It makes both of them fall into combat mode without a word, and the moment of silence is all Minako needs before she commands, “Your orders are to hold the Miracle Mile off Tokyo bay. Kyodai is a Category IV, first one ever, and moves quicker than your usual Kaiju. Keep your eyes peeled and be careful. Do you copy?”

“Copy that, Marshal,” Yuuri answers. At the feeling of distress radiating from the neural bond, he turns to see Mari frowning at the hologram screen in front of them, eyes locked at the red dot that’s glowing insistently near where the Kaiju is.

“Marshal,” Mari says, “there’s still a civilian vessel out in the sea.”

“Katsuki, the city holds over 9 million people,” Minako points out sternly despite the worry clinging to the edge of her tone, “You will not compromise their safety for the lives of 10. Do you understand?”

Mari frowns. “With all due respect, Marshal,” she begins, and next to her, Yuuri pales at his sister’s stream of thoughts, “I don’t think that’s the right—“

Yuuri presses the comms.

“We understand, Marshal,” He says, ignoring Mari’s betrayed glance.

“Yuuri,” Mari snaps.

“Katsuki Yuuri over.” He turns off the comms before things get heated further. Taking a deep breath, Yuuri faces Mari’s scowl and, despite his own uncertainty, says, “We’ll be fine.”

“We’ll be cowards,” Mari mutters. That’s all she says before they start moving.

They march into the open sea in silence with nothing else but the crashing waves rumbling underneath the Jaeger echoing in their ears.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

They reach the Miracle Mile when Yuuri breaks the tension between them.

“Mari- _nee-san_ , I can hear your thoughts, you know,” he starts as they march past the 10th mile away from the shore, which has Mari craning her head to frown at him. Yuuri keeps his eyes in front of him. The ocean is restless today, waves stubbornly shoving against the legs of the Jaeger as if to deter them. Yuuri doesn’t believe in premonitions. But there’s something in the way the sea desperately pushes them away that makes him whisper, “It’s a dangerous thing to do”, despite knowing his sister won’t change her mind once she has decided.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Mari argues quietly. She’s got her eyes trained forward, chin up and back straight, ignoring the current unlike Yuuri. “Our job is to protect the people from Kaiju attacks. And that means everyone.”

She glances at the hologram. It shows the Kaiju’s position, only 8 more miles ahead of them. The boat is alarmingly close to it. Mari clenches her teeth. “Even the Marshal knows that.”

“I said it was dangerous.” Yuuri repeats distractedly, scanning the turbulent ocean for any signs of a small boat. He sees it out of the corner of his eye, bobbing in the distance, and changes course. Mari follows him on automatic. “I never said it wasn’t right.”

Mari snorts. “The Marshal won’t be pleased.”

“Minako-sensei is more forgiving of me than you are,” Yuuri answers back.

He tells himself his sister’s grin is worth the risk they’re taking.

They reach the boat just in time, scooping it up from the sea as Kyodai bursts from the surface of the water, letting out a bellow that echoes painfully inside Yuuri’s ears.

Yuuri realizes their mistake too late. The Kaiju isn’t classified as a Category IV for nothing—as it rises to its full height, Kyodai ends up towering over them by a good 50 feet, something even the largest Category III has never managed to accomplish. It chills Yuuri down to his core, his heart dropping like a stone to his gut. By his right, Mari turns ashen grey and loses her breath.

“Shit,” Mari swears, and Yuuri swallows hard in agreement.

Kyodai lunges for them.

It charges forward, jaws wide open and claws bared, and Mari manages to make them dodge the attack by the skin of their teeth in the last minute. They bring up the Jaeger’s fist, hitting the Kaiju in the jaw, and Mari orders _Shoot it!_ at her brother through the neural connection.

“Can’t!” Yuuri yells. “I’m holding the boat!”

“Then fall back!” Mari shouts.

Yuuri forces his legs to move, and Mari jerks with him, the two of them stumbling back hastily until there’s distance between them and the Kaiju. It’s risky, retreating so close to the shore, but it’s the only way the boat will have a chance of escaping safely. They bend down to drop the boat on the next rise of the waves, letting the ocean current carry it away from the fight, and they whirl back around to see Kyodai too big, too close—

Their collarbone explodes in searing agony.

Yuuri grits his teeth and Mari cries out and both of them swing blindly at the Kaiju in outrage. It has its jaws clamping down on the Jaeger’s shoulder with a force strong enough to tear out their entire arm. They punch it once, twice, three times—it doesn’t budge.

Kyodai yanks them forward by its teeth, clawing violently at the Jaeger’s chest. The sting of it resonates like a knife cutting their skin open and _fuck, it hurts_.

Mari hisses. “ _Son of a—_ ”

Yuuri buries down a flinch, activates the left cannon, and shoots the monster in the eye.

The Kaiju shrieks in anger.

It releases its bite on them, stumbling back as it shakes its head. There’s glowing blue blood trickling down from Kyodai’s eye. Yuuri and Mari waste no time attacking again.

Yuuri raises their foot up and kicks Kyodai in the stomach.

Mari delivers a quick right hook and then another uppercut to its jaw.

Yuuri brings a fist against the Kaiju’s torso.

Mari pulls it down by the head and bashes it against their knee.

Yuuri shoots it in the mouth when it snarls.

They fall into the same brutal rhythm, fighting in sync, exchanging hasty orders in the drift.

_Dodge left._

_Right jab, Yuuri—_

_Duck—_

They miss the claw swiping for the Jaeger’s head.

_On your right, nee-san—_

_Got it. Watch out—_

They lock their elbows in place when Kyodai charges forward. The Kaiju bears its entire weight against them, leaving Mari and Yuuri straining to shove it back while simultaneously avoiding the Kaiju’s snapping jaws.

_I have a plan, on three—_

_Aim for the head!_

Just as Kyodai attempts to bite them again, they step back and let go of it, slamming their hands down on the Kaiju’s head when it pitches forward. It sends Kyodai nose-diving into the water and it lets out a pathetic shriek when Mari kicks it in the face—once, twice, three times—

And again and again and again, until the Kaiju stops moving.

The sea around them falls quiet, tainted a glowing blue from the monster blood. The sudden calmness of the ocean is unnerving.

“I— _nee-san_ ,” Yuuri says around a gasp of air, heaving with effort. Their foot dangles in mid-raise just before Mari can kick the Kaiju again. “ _Nee-san,_ I think it’s dead.”

Mari inhales slowly, catching her breath as they drop the Jaeger foot back into the ocean and she scrutinizes the unmoving thing in the ocean with a glare. There are bullets of sweat beading in her hairline under the helmet, exhaustion scribbled in her expression. Yuuri knows he has the same chalk-white pallor on his face that matches his sister’s.

“Well,” Mari sighs after a second of nothing bursting out of the ocean to scream hellishly, “we should report back to the Marshal now, shouldn’t we?”

“Agreed,” Yuuri says. He flips the comms online again. “Marshal, this is Katsuki Yuuri speaking. We’ve got Kyodai under control—”

“KATSUKI!”

The comms burst into violent static and high-pitched shrieking, sending both Mari and Yuuri yanking their heads away from the speakers. Marshal Okukawa’s furious shouts ring in their ears.

“What the hell did you just do?” Minako bellows. “Giacometti has a reading of your cannon discharge within the Miracle Mile!”

“The Kaiju was stronger than we thought,” Mari says, not quite lying, “it shoved us back into the coast—“

“Don’t mess with me right now,” Minako snaps. “We see the boat’s location, you can’t lie to me. You disobeyed a direct order! I should have your asses on probation for this!”

“Minako-sensei—,” Yuuri stutters.

“No offense meant, Marshal,” Mari interrupts, giving her brother a reassuring glance, “but we intercepted a Category IV Kaiju and successfully defended Tokyo Bay _while_ saving all those people in the boat. I don’t see what we did wrong.”

“You have to admit, Marshal,” Christophe joins the conversation as Minako gears up to yell again. His voice soft, deliberately careful with his words, “That was a pretty heroic feat they just did.”

There’s silence in the other side of the comms.

Yuuri waits with bated breath, exchanging nervous looks with Mari. His sister’s expression remains neutral but Yuuri can feel her hopefulness through the neural bond.

“We’ll talk after you get back,” Minako finally grounds out. Yuuri sags with relief in his place. He turns to Mari and says through the drift, _‘Thank god Chris is on your side’_. Mari’s answering smile is tired and fond. “I want Victory Riser back to the Shatterdome immediately.”

“Yes, sensei,” Yuuri hurries to say. “Thank you. Also, we’re very sorry. Aren’t we, _nee-san_?”

Mari shrugs. “Sure. We’re sorry, Marshal.”

“Oh, spare me the cute act,” Minako grouches. “Just haul your asses back here.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Neither of them bothers to switch off the comms as they turn away from the unmoving Kaiju and march back to the direction of the Shatterdome. Now that the fight is over, Yuuri can feel how sore his muscles are from the strain, twinging in protest at his every movement. Mari doesn’t seem to be any better judging from the exhausted frown she has.

“The boat’s safe, right?” Mari asks, just to make sure, and receives a snort.

“Yes, Katsuki,” Minako answers with a heavy sigh, the one that suggests Yuuri and Mari have given her a migraine yet again. “They’re only a mile off the bay now. We’re sending choppers to rescue them.”

Yuuri heaves a breath. “Good to know—”

“Kaiju signature rising!” Chris shouts all of a sudden, breaking the peace that has settled. There’s a distinct panic in his voice that jerks everyone out of their stupor. “Victory Riser, that thing is still alive!”

Mari and Yuuri stumble back to whirl around to where Kyodai is supposed to be.

The Kaiju corpse is gone.

There’s no movement under the ocean aside from the current and the glowing Kaiju blood that’s spreading around the area in a rapid pace. The sea is turning into an unnatural shade of neon blue. “Marshal, we’ve got no sign of it,” Mari says as Yuuri scans the water. “Chris, where’s the signature?”

“It’s closing in towards you!” Christophe warns.

“We can’t see it—“

 _Something_ bludgeons the Jaeger’s side and then, there’s a throbbing pain radiating from their torso, knocking the air out of them. Yuuri cries out, clutching his left rib by instinct. Kyodai breaches the ocean surface with a piercing shriek, filling their ears with a bloodcurdling noise, and sprays neon blue acid out of its mouth.

“Katsuki, I want you to get out of there!” Minako orders into the comms, alarmed. “Do you copy? Get out of there _now_ —”

“We can’t!” Mari yells, pressing buttons none too gently in her haste. She grits her teeth.  “We need back up!”

Mari aims her cannon at the Kaiju but it grips the weapon with its claw, shoving the cannon to the side as plasma shoots out of it. It uses its other claw to dig into the Jaeger’s chest and Mari winces at the sharp sting it leaves.

“Yuuri!” Mari shouts. “It’s got my arm, you have to shoot it!”

“I’m on it!” Yuuri clenches his jaw and bears the pain, raising his arm shakily. It’s as if everything is happening too fast and they can’t keep up. He aims and shoots at Kyodai, missing its head by a wide fraction and only managing to graze it on the neck. The Kaiju screeches in anger, turning to bite Yuuri’s hand. Mari takes the chance to shoot it in the eye. Kyodai roars, provoked, and whirls around once more.

“Keep going!” Mari yells. “It’s working!”

Yuuri readies his cannon again for a second shot only this time, the Kaiju moves faster, brutally swiping a claw in front of the Jaeger to bash the weapon away. The resulting blow breaks open the hull and the harsh wind sweeps into the exposed cockpit, leaving Kyodai to stare at them from where they are inside the Jaeger.

Yuuri’s heart jumps to his throat.

On the other side, Mari stares up in disbelief, eyes wide with fear. “It broke the hull,” she chokes under her breath, just before she shouts at the comms. “Marshal, it broke the hull!”

Kyodai lets out a deafening bellow.

It sounds all the more terrifying now that they’re no longer enclosed safely inside Victory Riser’s helmet and it sends chills down Yuuri’s spine. _What if_ , Yuuri thinks in cold dread, and for the first time since they started fighting as pilots, Mari’s agreement joins him in the drift. _What if we can’t stop it? What if we die fighting?_

The Kaiju brings its claw down on them, too strong for Yuuri’s arm to block it, and it hits the open cockpit where Mari is connected to the rest of the Jaeger. Electricity travels down her spine, crackling angrily, as the body suit dents inward, into her back, and Mari’s eyes widen, breath catching—

_What if._

Yuuri screams.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

“Victory Riser!” Minako barks into the intercom. There’s a solid ball of fear building in her throat and she refuses to choke on it. Her best pilots _aren’t dead._ They can’t be. “Victory Riser, answer me! I’ve sent the Red Samurai as your back up. ETA, 5 minutes. Do you copy?”

Static leaves her question dangling unanswered in the air. Minako bangs her fist against the desk.

“Do you copy, Victory Riser?”

All around her, the mechanics and technicians have stricken expressions, distraught at the thought of their champions defeated by a Kaiju.

“Marshal,” Giacometti says. When Minako glances down, she can see the heartbreak painted in his eyes. “Marshal, I’ve lost all signatures of them.”

Minako grits her teeth. “The Kaiju?”

“No signatures of it either.”

“Dammit!” Minako slams her hands down once again, and the noise rings hollow inside the HQ. She shuts her eyes and clenches her jaw, forcing down the sinking feeling that’s overtaking her. This isn’t what was supposed to happen. Her pilots are supposed to survive.

“Check in with the Red Samurai,” she tells Giacometti. “Ask them to report back.”

Her chief technician presses the button with a trembling hand. “Red Sam, what’s your status?”

“Minami Kenjirou reporting! We’re three miles off Tokyo Bay.”

“We’ve lost the signatures of Victory Riser and the Kaiju,” Christophe says, “Where are they?”

“Five miles away. We’re too late for the fight, Giacometti-san. Victory Riser is already marching back towards the shore—“

Giacometti’s eyes snap wide open.

There are resounding gasps inside HQ.

“What?” Minako snatches the microphone in shock and demands with desperate hope, “Say that again.”

“Victory Riser is marching towards the shore,” Minami says, confused. “They look okay—whoa, wait, they’re collapsing! Victory Riser is down! I repeat, Victory Riser is—!”

“I want rescue choppers on them right now!” Minako barks out. The headquarters explodes with action, people rushing back and forth to contact the rescue teams. “Giacometti, take care of this. I want my pilots back in one piece—”

“On it,” Christophe says, already out of his seat and running out the door.

Minako takes over his seat and drowns out the noise of her technicians, willing her heartbeat to slow. There’s a tell-tale sting at the back of her eyes that she won’t acknowledge. The Katsuki’s are alive. That’s all that matters right now. “Red Samurai, I want you to check on Kyodai. Make sure that thing’s dead. Keep us posted.”

“Copy that, Marshal. Minami Kenjirou over!”

 

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.

 

.

 

If asked about it in the years to come, all Yuuri will be able to remember is the pain—the burning sensation inside his skull, as if his brain is being fried by electricity, and the white hot feeling of being split apart.

He doesn’t remember how he managed to kill Kyodai.

Nor does he remember how he had the strength to pilot Victory Riser alone.

What he does recall is Mari, lying on her back on the wreckage of their cockpit, breathing shallowly and reaching a weak hand out to him. “Yuuri,” Mari murmurs and it’s all that takes for Yuuri to crawl towards her, collapsing by her side.

“Yuuri,” Mari says. Her helmet is broken like his, revealing a deep forehead wound and unfocused eyes. There’s blood pooling around her. “ _Otouto_ …you’re not supposed to pilot a _Jaeger_ alone.” She reaches to touch Yuuri’s face feebly, and her fingers come back stained crimson. “Your nose...”

“Don’t care,” Yuuri croaks out. His lungs feel like they’ve been set on fire. He grabs her hand, intertwining their fingers together clumsily, and tries to blink away the tears that are threatening to spill out of his eyes. “Hold on, _nee-san_. You’ll be okay. They’ll find us soon.”

“Can’t feel my legs,” Mari coughs. She draws in a breath, wheezing, and her eyes flutter shut. “I can’t feel anything, Yuuri…”

“You’re going to be okay. We’re going…going to make it out of here, I promise. Just hold on.” He clings to her hand as his vision darkens. “Please hold on.”

Mari coughs again, and this time, a little bit of blood comes spilling out of her lips. “…don’t know if I can.”

“Don’t say that. Don’t let go of me, _nee-san_ ,” Yuuri begs.

He feels her grip slipping and it scares him to death. Everything is turning hazy. For a moment, Yuuri thinks he can imagine Christophe’s voice calling out for them, but that might just be a hallucination, like how everything keeps spinning no matter where Yuuri looks. He feels lightheaded, all of a sudden.

“…still bleeding…” Mari murmurs. Her hand twitches inside Yuuri’s grip. “…you’re still bleeding.”

Yuuri blinks, slow, slow, _slow_ , and the world loses color.

“Don’t let go of me,” Yuuri whispers as his eyes fall halfway closed. The taste of blood is on his tongue. “Don’t let go of me, nee-san.”

Mari lets out a wounded noise, choking out his name. “Yuuri…n-no—”

Everything fades to black.

**Author's Note:**

> (oh my god, that was so long, i'm sorry)
> 
> I'll be adding more characters and tags as the story progresses! No promises, but I'm already working on the next chapters. I'll update this as soon as I'm able to. <3


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